Fatherhood Eve

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Spring is a Terrible Time to Die

READ THIS. SHARE THIS. SAVE A LIFE. PLEASE!

I am a biker. When I ride my motorcycle, I wear a full-face
helmet, kevlar pants, an armored jacket, armored gloves, giant boots, and a
smile. I have taken safety classes. I have ridden for a long time. I still
practice all the time, too. And I help fellow motorists and bikers when they need it. That's how I was brought up. To look out for everyone's safety and well-being.

I know that some people have negative feelings about bikers,
so I wanted to share this. There are three pictures here. One is a picture of
me and my girls. That guy with the cute little girls? He’s a biker that wants
to hug his girls forever.

The next picture is the back of my car. You wouldn’t BELIEVE
how many comments my wife gets on the car. People all over town know our car.
Which means they’ve read the bumper. Cyclists appreciate it. Bikers appreciate
it. It cost almost nothing and it makes people aware.

The third picture is from a ride several years ago with
three of my favorite men and my PPMC brothers: Mark Builder, Tom Schmitz, and Darin Moore – I still
see Mark and Tom, but I will never again get to give Darin a hug. He was killed
by a careless driver. He left a wife and children behind. He was a good man and
one of the best riders I’ve had the pleasure to have known. I miss him.

Sure, there are bikers who do dangerous things. I don’t
speak for them. I speak for us. For the dads (and moms) and responsible riders who just
want to ride a MC and not die. We work hard and we wear all our gear even if it’s
hot.

Most drivers do not use turn signals. Many drivers text
while they drive. And you gotta remember, killing a biker would ruin your life.
I’d hope. But your inattention could kill a kid, it could put someone in
traction, it could paralyze someone. IT COULD KILL YOU.

I would like to encourage everyone to think about putting
something like I did on their bumpers. I know people like their cars, but if I
make one driver think a little more, I consider the day a success. Screw the appearance of my car.

I put the stickers on when Darin was killed. I will leave them on there because there are motorcycles, children, old folks, cats, deer and a
million other things on the road. Daily, I see people following five feet off
the bumper in front of them going 80 mph. That’s an accident waiting to happen.
I see people changing lanes and speeding without signaling. I see people who have
yet to have their heart broken by what an inattentive rider/driver can do.

I try to do my part to make things safe for ALL drivers/riders/pedestrians. You
may not know a biker. Maybe you do. Either way, I’d appreciate it if you shared
this. In a car, it’s easy to forget the fact that you’re propelling a HUGE
chunk of metal at extreme speeds. It can easily become a deadly weapon.

I ride with bikers who don’t want to hurt a soul. I ride
with bikers who just want to pursue a passion safely and return home to hug
their loved ones. I know this is long, but life should be long, too. I want to ride with my brothers for a long, long time. And I want to be able to take my girls to the pool, too. And I don't want to even think about the pain and hardship my wife would experience if I died.

If we all work together, imagine how many tragedies could be prevented? You’ll
be seeing more bikers out of the road now. Please, PLEASE see them. They deserve
to live, and you deserve to live your life without aching guilt from a silly
moment of apathy or inattention.

Sure, I ride with a club. But there's another club. If you have a vehicle with wheels, you are in the club. The ‘let’s
be decent and respectful so no one gets hurt’ club. It’s a good club. I’m proud
to be a part of it.

Feel free to share this, plagiarize it, etc. I'm a writer, and I'm very protective of my words, but I'm more protective of my brothers and sisters - on bikes, in cars, or just walking down the street.

If you see this sticker on a bike, it means you've found a friend. THAT is the basis of the PPMC Charter.

4 comments:

I see bike club folks all the time in the good seasons who are careful and respectful. These guys are ace in my opinion. I also see jerks who weave in and out of lanes, race at impossible speeds and make things dangerous for all of us, including those nice bikers. I see the same disparity in drivers of other vehicles. That's human nature. There is not reason to look at bikers differently than the rest of humanity.

Whenever I see someone wearing a good-for-nothing half helmet and no other gear, I shake my fist and scold them like the crazy old bitch I am. And then I want to hug them. That's when they really get scared.